


foundations

by n7punk



Series: Outside of the War - She-ra canon stories [29]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon, building a life together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n7punk/pseuds/n7punk
Summary: Adora wants to ask Catra to marry her - instead she asks to make a life together.(Or, Adora's proposal turns into building a home).
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Outside of the War - She-ra canon stories [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793227
Comments: 34
Kudos: 324





	foundations

**Author's Note:**

> This fic references [a token of our love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26485348) (and [dancing around the red line](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465998) to a lesser extent) but should be understandable on its own.  
> I would have posted this sooner, but I got caught up in Stardew Valley and forgot I hadn't posted it lol.

The clearing has become a frequented spot of theirs. It appeared one day a few months in, and Adora has a _hunch_ why, but after she gave Catra her pin here, she became fond of the spot for all-new reasons. Today they are having a picnic, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the war in their own way. The anniversary was actually almost a month ago, but between the public ball and the flurry of excitement following Glimmer and Bow’s engagement, they have all been busy, and though they have gotten plenty of time to themselves, Adora wanted to take Catra on a proper date to celebrate the peace.

“I can’t believe Glimmer beat you to it,” Bow tells her when they are alone the day after Glimmer asked him to marry her. Adora rolls her eyes, remembering Catra telling her that morning about all of Glimmer’s plans and how worried she was about it being _too soon_.

“She beat me to asking, but only because it takes two years _minimum_ to plan a royal wedding and go through all the ceremonies. She is barely getting started now. Me and Catra will still be married before you-“ Adora starts, then cuts off, blushing and looking around. They are alone, no one to overhear, but it still feels like it will jinx them.

“She’ll say yes, Adora. She will say yes in a heartbeat,” Bow assures her. Adora huffs a sigh, but she sends him a grateful look. She _knows_ that, she knows they basically committed to this from the moment Adora gave Catra her token, from the moment they first kissed, from the moment they were small children whispering the word _promise_.

She is still nervous as she lays out the picnic in the clearing. Really, it is just a single basket with some meat buns inside and a jug of water – plus _maybe_ a treat for Melog, if they will hang back when Adora gets her courage up – but they have taken the afternoon off for this, so it still feels special. Catra stretches out in the soft, plush grass of the clearing, laying happily in the sunny spot Adora picked.

“Mm, I love it here. It’s so peaceful,” Catra tells her. Adora feels her heart picking up, hammering in her throat. She can feel the Whispering Woods holding its breath too, the gentle stirring of the leaves muffling as the entire world turns on a pin around them.

Adora is supposed to say _marry me_. She doesn’t. Instead, she stares at Catra for so long that Catra notices the silence around them and sits up to find Adora watching her. She flushes, blinking back at Adora as her fur fluffs up a little underneath the intensity of her gaze.

“I want to build a home here. With you. For you. For us,” Adora breathes, not _meaning_ to, but it is true, and somehow it is easier to say than the two words that she really wants to. Catra’s lips part in surprise, her entire body still except for her fur that is fluffing up even more. Adora doesn’t know how to continue except to double down.

“I mean, the Woods wants us to, anyway,” Adora manages, and then cuts off, biting her lip. “The day we found it, I was thinking about, hey, are we going to live in Bright Moon castle forever? I mean, I like it there, and we kind of _work_ there, but I had that thought while we were walking, and then we found _this_ , and I think maybe the woods are telling me to build our house here?” Adora rambles, words trailing off weak and hopeful as she stares desperately at Catra, waiting for a sign.

Catra looks _floored_. Melog is curled a few feet away in their own sunspot, blinking between the two of them, but at least not making an effort to get up and comfort Catra. Her girlfriend seems mostly speechless right now. Adora bites her lip, hanging her head.

“I’m sorry. I fucked that up. That wasn’t how I was supposed to ask,” she admits, raising one hand to scratch self-consciously at her undercut. She forces herself to take steadying breaths, following Perfuma’s exercises and trying not to panic _yet_. Catra is clearly surprised, still staring at her with her tail flicking, but that doesn’t necessarily mean _no_.

Catra swallows, collecting herself before she nudges closer, shuffling until she is sitting by Adora’s side. Adora takes a deep breath and looks up, throwing Catra a hopeful smile. Catra’s expression is soft and affectionate. It makes the tension in Adora’s shoulders seep away, relief flooding through her that even if Catra _does_ say no, she hasn’t mis-stepped too badly. Catra raises a hand to stroke her cheek and Adora leans into the touch gladly.

“How were you supposed to ask, Adora?” Catra asks, her voice low and fond, a bit seductive because Catra just _does_ that whenever Adora does something stupid and goes off rambling. Adora draws in a breath, meeting Catra’s eyes and letting the stroking of her fingers along her jaw calm her.

“I was supposed to start with how when we were kids, we would always talk about ruling the Horde? Because we just wanted to be together. And now the war is over, now we’re _here_ , I’ve been thinking about all the other ways we could be together. That we already _are_ together,” Adora manages, a little breathlessly, reaching out to place her hands on Catra’s hips and pull her a bit closer. It also lets her run a thumb over the golden wing pinned on Catra’s belt, hanging off her hip.

“Mm, good start so far. What else, princess?” Catra teases her, shifting her hand further back to scratch through Adora’s undercut with her claws, touch light but still enough to make her shiver and lean back into it. She is glad she put her ponytail up now, despite knowing Catra likes her hair down better. She has been wearing it down more, trusting she won’t have to worry about it falling in her face in battle, but she needed the comfort of familiarity today.

“Um, I want the rest of my life with you, Catra. You know that, but- I want a home with you, and Melog, a place where we could have… everyone in the Princess Alliance visit, I don’t know, just something that we build together,” Adora tells her. Catra’s eyes dilate a little, a blush dusting her cheeks as she shifts her hand to cup the back of Adora’s head and tug her closer until their foreheads are pressed together.

“A place to have all the noisy sex we want without Glimmer yelling at us?” Catra teases, her eyes dancing. It helps, making Adora huff a laugh as she rolls her eyes. Glimmer put a sound dampening spell on their room two months in. She told them this very pointedly. It took them three more weeks to realize that was supposed to be a chastisement and not a free pass. Well, it took Adora three weeks. Catra knew the whole time but was wholly unwilling to correct her.

“And make love,” Adora adds, in an embarrassed mutter. She doesn’t call sex that _often_ , but it is _different_ than just the word sex, meaning a bit deeper. Catra’s cheeks are blazing, her teasing grin dropping into a soft smile.

“Ask me, Adora,” she breathes, a command Adora could never refuse. Adora shivers, her eyes fluttering for a moment before she forces them to open again.

“Marry me?” she asks, utterly breathless with her hope despite how she already knows she doesn’t need to _have_ it. Catra knew the question she was gearing up to ask. Catra breaks into a broad grin.

“In an instant, Adora,” she returns. Adora lets out a shaking breath and then kisses her fiancé with all the intensity of one of Entrapta’s supernovas.

\--

Building a house is a lot of work. Apparently Adora had anticipated the physical labour of it, but none of the _planning_. Catra isn’t surprised – in fact, she was kind of expecting it – so she pats Adora’s arm and promises her she will take care of things herself until they are to the _hauling materials_ phase. She goes to Glimmer and tells her of the plans a week after they return from the clearing, hand-in-hand and beaming. They have already exchanged tokens, so there is no _visible_ change, but it is still a thrill to call She-ra her _fiancé_.

Glimmer puts her in touch with the royal architect, and Catra brings a few drafts of plans to Adora, asking her what she wants. They make changes, and then revisions, and then _additions_ , but after a few weeks they have plans. Glimmer gets a well put in at the site, and Entrapta rigs them up a generator that runs off the sun in the clearing.

Eventually, supplies are hauled out to the site and they both spend a few weeks alternating between working with trained builders and doing the work themselves. They both learned a surprising amount about construction during the rebuilding efforts follow the war – they both personally helped build things, too – but they still need guidance if they are going to build a home that stands the test of time.

“I think I want to die with you in this house,” Adora says one day, as they sit in the middle the completed house frame, no walls or roof yet built. Adora immediately winces and glances over at Melog, but they remain an impassive blue as Catra just blinks at her.

“You’d better be planning additions, then. I need _luxury_ , Adora, especially in my old age,” Catra returns. Adora relaxes, smiling softly and shaking her head.

“Spoiled brat,” she tells her, but she leans over and presses a kiss to the base of Catra’s ear anyway. Catra rumbles softly in response.

\--

They have a garden. Partially so they can have fresh herbs without waiting for the weekly resupply from the castle, but mostly for plants that are just _pretty_. Catra picks out flowers or otherwise pleasing plants to fill the space. Adora transplants them for her fiancé into the sprawling garden surrounding the house, a space filled with the grass from the clearing threatening to encroach on the flower beds. A series of steppingstones and pavers lead to the home, but the sprawling grass field Catra first grew fond of still surrounds them.

Catra is lounging on the porch, sipping on an orange iced drink and flicking her tail in amusement as she watches Adora work. Melog is on the – shaded, Adora would like to point out – porch with her, also watching Adora sweat for Catra’s amusement as she digs up the beds for the plants. Adora doesn’t mind. She isn’t _opposed_ to her fiancé ogling her, and she likes Catra doing it while she works on building something for her even more.

Adora _really_ likes building something with Catra, for Catra. It was as much a part of the engagement as the proposal itself. There is a sense of accomplishment in the act, in the spark in Catra’s eyes as she observes Adora’s work, and _later_ , when she leads her to their bedroom and _rewards_ her. Adora hums happily to herself as she digs in the ground, unbothered by the dirt beneath her nails.

Catra likes plants – a lot, it turns out – but she will never enjoy dirt under her claws. Adora is going to be the one really maintaining the garden, at least when it comes to anything more intensive than watering and harvesting, but that works for both of them. As long as Melog stays out of the beds – which they _hopefully_ will considering they have an entire forest to romp in – their little garden should turn out fine.

Catra calls to her when midday approaches.

“As much as I enjoy watching you sweat, it’s getting hot and it’s time for you to put on more sunscreen. Come take a break,” Catra calls, depositing her empty drink on the porch railing and bidding Adora to approach with a flick of her wrist. Adora grins, rising from the ground and following Catra’s beckon. She takes Catra’s outstretched hand, totally unnecessarily, kissing it before she starts up the shallow porch steps.

Catra just smiles fondly at her, the corners of her eyes crinkling up and her tail flicking in her satisfaction.

“I think it’s time to test out our new bed,” she says, conversationally. Adora feels herself break into a grin as she reaches down to lift Catra up by her thighs. Catra trills in satisfaction as she wraps her legs around Adora’s waist.

“Gladly,” Adora breathes in response.

\--

They don’t live at the house full time. The weekends, yes, but they keep their room in the castle. It is just practical when Catra is exhausted from a day at court and Adora is playing princess, or bodyguard, or _magic healing goddess_. They live in their cottage in the woods half-time, never far from their friends even when they are in their private home, and stay in the room that was their first truly _physical_ home the rest of the time.

Okay, their house is more than a _cottage_. The home is two stories. They wanted to keep the footprint on the clearing small and as undisturbed as possible. They have a living room, kitchen, laundry, and dining room all on the first floor. On the second is their bedroom, an office for them to share, and a guest bedroom just in case. The attic was built to be a comforting nest for Melog, a small round window shining light inside. They still sleep in the bed with them half the time, but Catra wanted them to have a space that was just _theirs_ , like the den they have hidden in the castle.

Not that she and Adora never go in the attic, but the space does belong to Melog. Catra comes home to the house empty, but still filled with Adora’s chattering voice. She can’t help but smile to herself as she climbs the stairs and then hauls herself up the climbing frame that acts as a secondary entrance to the attic. It is more fun that way – keeps them sharp. Adora never uses it, preferring the stairs, but the lack of claws does complicate using it.

Adora is laying on one of Melog’s massive, poofy beds, the large cat’s head in her lap as she scratches behind their ears and recounts a story from during the war. Melog knows it, because Catra knows it, but it is _different_ told from Adora’s perspective. Adora cuts off and raises her head when Catra enters the room, beaming a smile at her.

“How was the fitting?” she asks, her hands still on Melog’s head. A bit of the warmth spreading through Catra retreats and she pointedly looks at Adora’s hands. Adora rolls her eyes and resumes scratching. Both Melog and Catra purr in response as Catra crosses the room and flops down beside her fiancé, cuddling into the side Melog isn’t laying on.

“Minor adjustments this time – and _maybe_ fixing a tear I made pulling it on – but after that it will be ready,” Catra promises her, pressing a kiss against her cheek. Adora chuckles, throwing her a mischievous look.

“A tear huh? So it’s delicate, then?” she needles, leaning in close. Catra rolls her eyes and pokes a claw against her forehead, pushing her back as she scoffs.

“Not a chance. You’ll find out at the wedding, moron,” Catra tells her. Not that Catra gives a shit about _superstition_ , but she does give a shit about leaving Adora speechless on their wedding day. She is pretty sure she has managed it. Glimmer wasn’t able to say much intelligent at least when Catra pulled on the white dress pants, billowing pirate blouse with a low neckline, entirely made of lace _regardless_ of the plunging v, and tailored white tuxedo jacket.

Adora knows she is wearing a suit – to absolutely no one’s surprise – and Catra knows Adora is wearing a dress, but both of them have been keeping the details a secret. It was a tradition Glimmer suggested and they both immediately latched onto, competitive and wanting to outdo the other in secret.

In the end, neither of them will be able to decide who won, mostly because they _both_ make each other speechless. Despite Catra telling her not to, Glimmer budgeted an extra fifteen minutes into the ceremony planning for them to just stare at each other before going out, but it still isn’t _quite_ enough when Catra starts crying at the sight of Adora.

After the wedding, after their vows and the reception and furtive thanks to Glimmer for handling the more messy details of party planning, they return home together, Melog on their heels and hand-in-hand as they enter the house they built together.

\--

Adora wakes up to soft morning light filtering through the curtains and groans, rolling away from the offending brightness. Apparently Catra had the exact same idea, because she practically rolls on top of her wife. Adora makes a soft, apologetic sound, and wraps her arms around her wife’s smaller form, never opening her eyes. Catra trills lightly in her sleep and immediately tucks her face into Adora’s neck.

Melog rumbles softly from the foot of their bed. They finally have a bed large enough of Melog to sleep at the foot of without being _on their feet_ in the house, though Melog still _does_ that sometimes. Adora has woken up more than once with her circulation cut off. The fact that the bed also fits She-ra is an absolute coincidence.

She-ra gets more use in the bedroom than she does in battle, these days. Adora still turns into her _frequently_ , but it is usually for some official business or to complete a simple task made easier with her height or strength. _Fighting_ is scattered and far between, usually limited to when they make trips out on Darla in their slow, but ever-expanding quest to return magic and peace to the universe.

The good news is, now the match has been lit, magic is spreading on its own. Or rather, it is spreading now people believe it _can_ and the Heart of Etheria has been released. Entrapta has a theory about Etheria being the magical center of the universe. It might not have always been true, but it is _now_ , after centuries of the Horde rampaging throughout space wiped out any other magical nexus. Magic is radiating out, slowly and surely.

She-ra can still help, but she doesn’t _need_ to. Adora can afford to wake up in her home, with her wife in her arms and Melog sleeping soundly at their feet, and just enjoy the soft warmth of the morning. Birds are singing in the woods, and in the distance she can hear the rumbling of one of the Woods’ elementals passing by, but they are peaceful and never enter the clearing.

The Woods want them here as much as Adora wants to be here. It is a thank you for returning their magic, a show of affection. Adora feels safe here, as does Catra. The castle is safe, too, but it is also _work_. Here they can just be them, soft and in love, building a life together after a childhood of war.

“Too early. Go back to sleep,” Catra mumbles in her arms when Adora presses a kiss to the base of her ear. Adora smiles to herself, glancing at the clock and finding it decidedly _not early_ , but she flops back against the pillow and lets Catra nuzzle in closer with a purr.

They have time. They have all the time in the universe, actually.

**Author's Note:**

> They’re Entrapta’s supernovas because no one else talks about supernova’s except fucking Entrapta lol.  
> The house in the Whispering Woods is a major headcannon of mine, so it was time to finally write about it! Catra and Adora maintain their room in the castle, and stay there 2-4 times a week, but the rest of the time they stay at their house. They are never more than a short walk away anyway.  
> Melog's den is from my other fic 'make a home', which will be posted in a few days!


End file.
